Perfect
by sunshineanddust
Summary: Yuu is born a week earlier. Nobody tries to change Touko.
1. Ordeals

The world was officially unfair, Yuu decided. Scratch that, actually; the world was _literally out to get her_.

Her day had started out nicely, with coffee and a plan pulling her from her bed bright and early. Said plan was simple enough: get to the culture festival before everyone else did, abuse Mei's participation in one of the student-run cafés to score some free sweets, wander the festival as she pleased. Maybe catch the play if it fit within her sweet-hunting schedule.

It really was a nice plan. Yuu was rather proud of it.

The plan died an untimely, painful death when Mei called her. Mei _never _called her unless she was about to unfairly infringe on Yuu's life and felt as though the extra effort of a phone call was necessary to not seem like the worst person alive. Thankfully, this was rare – they probably wouldn't be friends, otherwise – but Yuu knew that her plan was going to suffer if she answered the phone. She vowed not to answer and to enjoy her day as she picked up the phone and accepted the call.

Damn. Maybe next time she'd finally learn to let it go to voicemail.

"Oh, Yuu, hi! Look, there's been an emergency at the café – Harumi said she'd come in and there's no sign of her and she's not answering her phone and we're about to open for business but we're understaffed and we can't run properly without her and we really really _really_ need someone to _please_ fill in for her so that's why I called you to ask if you could fill in please."

She could still say no. Refuse, apologise, and stick to the plan. Nobody would think badly of her.

"Thank you thank you thank you! Okay, just get here as soon as you can and we'll fill you in on what you need to do and oh my God I can't thank you _enough_ Yuu seriously!"

One day she'd figure it out.

Harumi proceeded to be a no-show for the rest of the day, which meant that Yuu had been enlisted for the entirety of the festival. The café had somehow been squeezed into the tiniest room possible, with repurposed miniature ping-pong tables for sitting and eating at taking up most of the scant space available. They took up so much space, in fact, that there was no room for other important food preparation items, like ingredients, or school-sanctioned paper plates and cutlery. This was a little bit of an issue when food needed to be prepared and people needed to not eat off the floor.

Yuu's job, therefore, was to run like a madwoman around the school whenever they ran out of something, find the random cubbyholes they'd stored their necessities in, and then run back. Owing to the size of the room, they ran out far too frequently for Yuu's taste – about once every twenty minutes or so. Tripping over a ping-pong table was not particularly fun and doing it several times over did not improve the experience.

While it was something of a miracle of organisation that the student council had even found a place for them, Yuu couldn't help cursing the shoebox she'd found herself in in. She did manage to escape briefly to watch the play, hoping that it could maybe bring some joy to her otherwise ruined day, but apparently the world was not content to allow Yuu even the shattered remnants of her once-great plan.

Nanami Touko had obviously stolen the show in her role as the antagonist of _Split_ reimagined as a pretty girl, but the whole thing had left a bit of a bitter taste in her mouth. Yuu wasn't quite sure why: the play was unique and interesting, the acting was genuinely impressive, and she'd managed to smuggle a brownie or four into the repurposed gymnasium. Clearly, even when she stuck to her plan, she simply wasn't permitted to enjoy herself.

Following the play, she got back to tripping over ping-pong tables until the students began to gradually trickle homewards. Afternoon turned to evening as golden light filtered gently through the solitary window, painting the room in a warm ambience. Teenage exuberance gave way to quiet murmurs and quieter smiles as day began the gradual transition to night. The slowly fading sunlight danced on the surface of the tables in a way almost nice enough for Yuu to forget she hated them.

Finally, the café emptied out. Mei had calmed down considerably over the course of the day once it became clear that her pet festival project was not going to crash and burn and thanked her profusely for helping out. A muttered promise to wring Harumi's neck was tactfully ignored by Yuu, who thought it best to ensure she wasn't implicated in any murders by pretending to not hear a thing.

Yuu's last ordeal for the day was to drag the ping-pong tables back to the sports shed, lock them up, and then drop the key to the shed off at the teacher's office. Thankfully, they were of the folding variety, but even this blessing was not enough to prevent Yuu from grumbling all the way to the shed, repeatedly banging her ankles against the tables as they bumped along the ground behind her. The air was starting to cool, with the fading rays of the afternoon sun slinking back from the grass under her feet. She shivered slightly as a gust of wind rushed by her, hastening her pace to reach the now slightly creepy-looking shed, and heaved the sliding door open quickly before dragging the tables in, shutting it behind her to keep the bite of the wind out. Best to get in and out of the spooky murder-shed as fast as possible.

Yuu let her eyes gradually adjust to the darkness as she scanned the interior of the shed, looking for a place to dump her tables (_the _tables, she corrected herself mentally –death sounded preferable to being associated with the awful things) and never think about them ever again. A spot between two shelves seemed an ideal dumping ground, though it wasn't until she had began the arduous process of dragging the tables over that she realised the spot was taken.

She was sitting up against the wall, legs pulled in tight against her chest with her chin resting on her knees. Dark eyes rimmed with red stared vacantly at the wall ahead of her, strands of dark hair just beginning to fall over her face and gently brushing against the rough floor of the shed. It seemed she hadn't noticed Yuu's entrance, or perhaps didn't care; she hadn't moved from her position, arms still hugging her legs tightly. The last vestiges of light from the shed's solitary window just grazed her shoulder, weakly casting the ground next to her in a slight amber and only serving to obscure her figure further with the contrast.

Yuu inched forward cautiously, tables all but forgotten.

"…Nanami-san?"

No response. Nanami may as well have been cast from stone.

"Nanami-san?" Yuu tried again. Nothing. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do. "Touko-san? Is everything alright?"

Yuu was almost glad for the lack of any response. '_Is everything alright?'_ Really? Everything was quite obviously not alright. She mentally berated herself as she edged forward again, close enough to touch.

"Nanami-san…is there anything I can do? I'm happy to leave otherwise," she said. "Really, I don't even care about these stupid ping-pong tables." She laughed awkwardly, hand coming up to scratch at the back of her head.

A beat.

Nothing.

Yuu sighed slightly and turned to leave. She wasn't going to force support on Nanami if she didn't want or need it. Maybe she was just one of the types who preferred to stew on things alone. Yuu could definitely sympathise with that. She'd leave Nanami to it, and maybe try and check in with her in a few days to check that she was doing a little better. Attempt to be marginally less awkward.

She made it about half a step before a hand shot out and clamped around her wrist tightly, causing Yuu to jump slightly and whirl around. Aside from her hand, which remained locked around Yuu's arm, Nanami remained still, empty grey eyes fixed on the opposite wall like she wasn't currently attempting to crush Yuu's bones to dust.

Despite herself, Yuu felt the beginnings of a smile touch her lips. She shuffled closer, leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit next to Nanami, sides just barely grazing each other, before pulling a knee to her chest, allowing her other leg to remain stretched out. Only after Yuu stilled did Nanami remove her grip from her wrist, wrapping her arm around her legs once more. The only disturbance was Yuu pulling her phone from her pocket and quickly typing a message to her mother: _hanging out with a friend. back later. _Nanami's eyes had drifted slightly in Yuu's direction while she did this, as if to ensure she wasn't about to run away. Only when her phone was back in her pocket and Yuu had returned to her original position did they slide back to the wall.

Yuu leant her head back against the wall behind her, exhaling softly and letting her eyes fall closed. She could stay a while.


	2. Quiet

"…to-san? Koito-san?"

Yuu's eyes gradually blinked open at the sound of the voice, the world still soft and out of focus. There was an awful cramp in her neck, and her legs seemed to already be displaying the first signs of rigor mortis with how stiff they felt. Falling asleep on the floor with her head lolling down toward her chest had been a terrible idea in hindsight, and she mentally cursed her past self with whatever bad words her sleep-addled brain could conjure up.

Wait.

Yuu had always been something of a proponent of sleeping in a bed if one happened to be available. In fact, one could go so far as to call her a fan of the practice. When presented with the choice to sleep in her bed or propped up against the wall like a discarded rag doll, Yuu tended to prefer the former. That she was on the floor now was cause for concern.

Forcing the thin film of sleep from her eyes, Yuu brought the floor into sharp focus. It was cold, grey concrete, occasional cracks and imperfections meandering through the surface. She blinked, once, twice, a third time. This was not her floor. And, now that she thought about it, that voice that accompanied her return to the waking world was far more polite than her mother ever was when waking her up.

"Ah! You're awake!"

Yuu's head shot up. Unfortunately, having only recently awoken, she was not fully prepared for the velocity she could bring to force. Her head swung up and then back, impacting the wall behind her painfully. Immediately, she brought her head back down to her chest, hands coming up to grasp at her head as a sharp pain rocked through her skull, accompanied by a steady, throbbing ache and the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Yuu added her present self to the list of people to curse; she'd probably been kidnapped, and she'd only gone and given herself a concussion. She might as well have gift-wrapped herself and handed herself straight to her captor along with a complimentary fruit basket. Self-inflicted migraines did not tend to form the basis of solid escape plans.

Before she could lament her current situation any further, a light touch on the back of her hand brought Yuu back to reality. She forced her head up, meeting the horrified gaze of Nanami Touko with a pained wince.

"Koito-san! Are you alright?" Nanami was starting to look slightly panicked. She brought her hand back, holding up two fingers approximately half an inch from Yuu's face. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have woken you up like that! How many fingers am I holding up? Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous? Do you think you're going to fall unconscious for a period longer than 30 minutes?"

The endless stream of words was not doing much for Yuu's headache. She sighed slightly, massaging her temples. "It's…just a headache, I'm fine. It's okay. Two. No dizziness. No nausea. No way of knowing but probably not."

Nanami audibly sighed with relief, the tension bleeding out of her shoulders as she leaned back on her haunches before giving Yuu a relieved smile. "Phew! Still…" At this, Nanami looked down briefly, her smile wavering a little at the edges. "Sorry. Anyway, it's kind of late – we should probably get going."

At the reminder that Yuu was still sitting in a dingy shed late at night, judging by the soft moonlight illuminating the room, she started, and quickly tugged her phone from her pocket. Past midnight. Crap. She fired off a quick reply to the increasingly frustrated texts she'd received from her mother, informing her she fell asleep and was going to stay the night with a friend. She'd probably get punishment shifts manning the bookstore, but that was far preferable to letting her parents know she'd dozed off in a murder shed. She'd probably be murdered herself. Gracing the murder shed with an actual murder was not something Yuu was particularly keen to do.

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Yuu noticed that Nanami had moved to open the door. She'd grasped the handle, ready to open the door, and just…didn't. At that moment, she seemed almost a million miles away, gazing blankly at her hand with a vacant expression, lost in another world entirely. Images of empty eyes watching a cement wall raced across Yuu's mind, the evening's events returning to her. It was only when Yuu stood and began to cross the shed that Nanami returned, the faint _tap-tap-tap_ of shoes on concrete shaking her back to life. She blinked owlishly, confusion briefly furrowing her brow, before she grinned at Yuu and slid the door open, gesturing extravagantly for her to proceed out into the cool night air.

With a muttered thanks, Yuu hurried out, thoughts churning, headache complaints falling to the wayside. She'd honestly forgotten about walking in on Nanami earlier; her rather eventful awakening had been quite distracting, and Nanami had been acting so normally that even if Yuu had remembered, she'd have been half-convinced it was all some strange dream. Seeing Nanami drift away the way she had, though, was unusual – she wasn't the sort to zone out like that, or to have any flaws whatsoever. When she pulled the door open, casting herself in moonlight, Yuu saw it all; the strain at the edges of her smile, the faint red rimming eyes that were a little too wet, the slightest impression of tear tracks.

Something was wrong.

With the soft _thud_ of the door sliding closed, Yuu whisked around. "Nanami-san? Are you alri—"

"Please…" Nanami sucked in a breath. Her voice was small, quiet. She hadn't turned away from the door. "Please don't talk about that."

Yuu's eyes drifted down to the ground beneath her feet.

She paused.

"…Okay," she said.

Nanami turned from the door, offering Yuu a faint, grateful smile.

"Thank you," she replied. "We should probably leave. It's late."

"Okay," said Yuu.

Nanami began walking towards the school gates. Yuu locked the shed and followed behind her. They walked silently across the grounds, through the forest, between the buildings. Nanami didn't look back, and Yuu didn't try and catch up completely. The school was quiet. The moonlight and the far-off glow of streetlights cast deep shadows, consuming the normally grey buildings in the darkest pitch. It would have been eerie if Yuu had been paying any mind to it.

The pair eventually reached the gate. Nanami shook it. It was locked.

"It's locked," she said, turning around to face Yuu.

Yuu looked at her. She blinked, slowly.

"Really?" she asked.

Nanami turned and rattled the gate again. She turned back.

"It's definitely locked," she confirmed.

"Huh. I'd never have guessed after that first shake," replied Yuu.

Nanami stared at her for a second. Then a second longer. Then she laughed, the cheerful noise shattering the silence that had wrapped around the two.

"Koito-saaaaaan, that's unfair," Nanami whined playfully, affecting a hurt expression and crossing her arms. "Hpmh. Think we can get over the fence?"

Yuu eyed the fence critically. It was at least three metres tall, and the tips of the metal posts looked rather painfully spiky. She didn't fancy their chances, and being impaled on a school fence was not high on Yuu's bucket list. She informed Nanami of this.

Nanami pouted. "You're so sarcastic, Koito-san," she grumbled. She hummed under her breath, hands on her hips. "We could look for a gap in the fence or a way over it through the forest?"

Yuu raised an eyebrow; Nanami really did not seem to be having the best ideas tonight. She resisted the urge to ask how she was doing. "You're welcome to wander through the dark, scary forest at night by yourself if you want, but I'll pass, thanks." Yuu patted herself on the back for her excellent survival instincts.

Nanami visibly shuddered. Not a fan of the dark, then.

"I guess we could…" She trailed off. Just as Yuu was about to say something, she shook her head forcefully.

Given that Nanami did not seem to intend to continue, Yuu cleared her throat. "I guess we're stuck here for now then. Want to come with me to drop the sports shed keys off?"

With Nanami in tow, Yuu headed back toward the school. It was looking a great deal creepier now that the blanket of awkwardness had been mostly dispelled, and she was glad she wasn't stuck here alone. The idle chatter between the two was great at keeping the spookiness at bay as they ambled between the buildings. Unsurprisingly, the school was locked up, which proved to be something of an obstacle to Yuu's key-returning plans. That the window to the staff room had been left open was a blessing, then, and Yuu successfully lobbed the key through after watching Nanami struggle for perhaps a little longer than was wholly polite.

"You're supposed to be a sports superstar, Nanami-san," said Yuu as she turned from the window.

"Shut up!" Nanami laughed and began walking off. "Want to go to the student council building? I have the key – president privileges," she called back over her shoulder.

Yuu shrugged, following behind her. "Sounds good. I hope it's cleaner than the shed. That was a little unpleasant."

"Cleaner…" Nanami bit her lip, eyebrows coming together in thought before she lit up, snapping her fingers. "That's it! The janitor told me he likes to come in at about six on Saturday mornings to clean. We can sneak out then!" She looked thoroughly pleased with herself at the idea, her strides lengthening and her back straightening as they began down the path to the council building.

"The janitor talks to you? The janitor _likes _you? I tried to talk to him once and I think he literally _growled_ at me. Who even does that?" Yuu looked at her incredulously.

Nanami preened, throwing a grin at Yuu. "_Everyone_ likes me." Her smile faltered a little before returning. "Everyone."

Yuu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" A smirk stretched across her face. "What would Saeki-san think of your popularity?" she drawled, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Come to think of it, she probably wouldn't be too happy with this illicit night-time tryst of ours, either, _Touko-chan_. The play definitely seemed to paint her as the…jealous type." Yuu wriggled her eyebrows salaciously.

It was a little too dark to see Nanami's face perfectly, but a definite choking noise could be heard from her. "We're not dating! We're just friends. Sayaka was only pretending to be my girlfriend in the play," said Nanami.

Yuu laughed, winking at Nanami. "If you insist, Nanami-san," she replied, quickly leaning down to unsnag a plant from the bottom of her jeans before catching up again.

The other girl scowled. "It's true! I've never even _liked_ anyone that way, let alone dated anyone."

This piqued Yuu's interest. She leaned forward in curiosity, looking up at Nanami. "Really? You too?"

Nanami stopped in her tracks, turning and locking eyes with Yuu. "Me too?" she asked. There was a hint of…_something_, in her voice, something beyond mere curiosity, beyond polite interest. There was almost a demand in her tone, a need. It was barely there – just the tiniest change in intonation, the slightest degree of urgency – but Yuu got the sense that this question was important.

"Umm, yeah, you too," Yuu said, breaking the eye contact. "I've never felt anything – well, anything like _that_, you know, I obviously have friends and stuff – anyway, I've never liked anyone that way before either." She laughed a little, hand coming up past her ponytails to rub at the back of her head awkwardly. "It's nice to meet someone like me, I guess."

Nothing. The forest remained quiet. Yuu looked back up to find Nanami still staring at her. "Nanami-san?" she tried.

Nanami jolted a little. "Ah! Sorry! I got a little lost in thought. It's definitely nice." She returned her eyes to Yuu's and smiled. "Shall we keep going? We're almost there…I think. It's harder to tell in the dark."

They both continued their trek towards the council building. Nanami seemed to be a better mood; she hadn't gotten distracted by her own words since Yuu had mentioned her inability to fall for people, and she didn't seem as subtly _off_ as she had earlier. She was also looking at Yuu more as they talked, rather than ahead or away. She was just more present than earlier; more of Nanami was in the school with her, laughing beside her, and not lost in whatever had taken her in the shed earlier. Yuu chalked it up to them having something to connect over, smiling to herself slightly in relief.

"We're here!" announced Nanami, interrupting Yuu's thoughts as she jogged on ahead to open the door.

The home of the student council was a small, single-story building. It reminded Yuu a little of a seaside college, with a gently sloping terracotta roof and white wooden walls that took on a dark blue tinge under the night sky. Tall, narrow windows crisscrossed and framed in a stained, earthy green wood peeked from the walls at irregular intervals. A larger window lay around the corner, spanning most of the width of the small building, Yuu knew. A tiny veranda framed the door like a painting, constructed from the same green wood that surrounded the windows. Stone slabs matching the walls meandered up the slight incline to the door, forming stairs that almost seemed to be growing from the ground. It certainly wasn't pristine; the paint was chipped, and the wood was somewhat tarnished, but it was all the better for it, like it had emerged from the earth along with the grove that surrounded it. It didn't even feel manmade – it fit the forest as well as any tree did.

A muffled shout of triumph dragged Yuu back to reality, as Nanami finally worked the door open and slipped inside. Warm light spilled from the windows as Yuu moved to join her, not particularly keen on remaining out in the dark forest by herself.

A short corridor lead to the main room, a fairly open space gently illuminated by a small lamp on a counter in the corner. Faded yellow walls skirted with dyed green wood matching the outside were complimented by a dark wooden floor, and lined with shelves containing bulky, slightly intimidating-looking folders. A large window adorned one wall, delicate white curtains doing little to obscure the night, and a blackboard sat upon another, scribbled notes and dates covering it. Two narrow school tables were pushed together in the centre of the room, flanked on all sides by uncomfortable-looking folding chairs. It felt warm and homely, comfortable. Nanami stood in the corner, fiddling with a kettle on the counter.

"Do you want any tea or coffee, Koito-san?" she asked over her shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"Tea, thank you." Yuu took a seat quietly as Nanami busied herself with their drinks, softly humming scraps of a melody under her breath.

It wasn't long before a gently steaming mug was placed before her, a murmured thanks dusting Nanami's cheeks a slight pink as she sat next to her. Yuu sipped at her drink in silence, savouring the warmth. Neither her nor Nanami said anything– there didn't seem to be a need to break the silence. Yuu was content to gaze through the window at nothing, thinking about nothing. She noticed Nanami's eyes graze her occasionally, the closest either of them came to letting the moment end for a time.

Eventually, Yuu set her mug down on the table. "If we're waiting for the janitor to show, we probably can't afford to fall asleep in case we miss him," she said. "Any ideas for how we're going to stay up? I think I'll fall asleep if we don't do something."

Nanami blinked slowly at her. She hummed, chin resting on her hand. "I'm not sure, really."

Yuu gasped, feigning shock. "The great Nanami Touko not sure of something? Pigs must be flying."

Nanami scrunched her face up at her in response.

"Okay, okay," Yuu said with a laugh. "Truth or dare? I hear all the cool kids are doing it."

"They can't be, I haven't played it." Nanami stuck her tongue out. "Alright, truth." She clearly wasn't the adventurous type.

Yuu thought for a second, eyes rising to the ceiling. "Most embarrassing dream?"

Nanami laughed. "Oh wow. Starting off strong?" At Yuu's answering grin, she continued. "I think it was last year, or the year before. I was doing the play, but I'd forgotten all my clothes and I wasn't allowed to go and get them. It was mortifying; I think I stayed off from school that day just in case it had actually happened!"

"Ouch, naked dreams are rough," said Yuu. "Okay, dare."

It took Nanami a few seconds. "Alright, Koito-san, finish your drink."

Yuu's tea had cooled a fair bit, so it was no trouble to down the remainder in a few large gulps. She put the empty mug on the table and gave Nanami a flat stare. "Ooh. Difficult."

Nanami scrunched her face up again. "Truth."

"Wow, Nanami-san, you're really pushing the boat out," Yuu deadpanned. "Favourite type of music?"

Nanami shrugged. "I quite like punk, actually. Don't tell anyone."

"Huh. Didn't expect that." Yuu smiled. "Cool though. Dare. And a proper one this time!"

A hum. A pause. A dark blush coloured Nanami's cheeks as she cast her eyes downwards towards the table, quickly taking a gulp of her drink.

Yuu raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Ummmmmm…" Nanami's voice squeaked a little. "…Stand on the chair?"

If Yuu wasn't unimpressed before, she certainly was now, and from higher up, too. "You're terrible at this game, Nanami-san," she called down, arms folded.

Nanami buried her head in her arms on the table. "…Shut up."

"We might as well just play questions if your dares are this bad." Yuu hopped down from her seat and crossed the room, sitting underneath the window with her back leaning against the wall below it. After a second, Nanami joined her, cheeks still burning slightly. Neither commented on the similarity of their positions to those in the shed just a few hours ago.

Yuu started them off. "Best holiday? We went to Hiroshima a few years back. I remember laughing at Dad because he didn't want octopus on his okonomiyaki, so it just had soy sauce on it. He was really disappointed it was so bland. We've never left the country, but it was really nice."

Her head on her knees, Nanami laughed. "We went to England once, round a few cities – London, Cambridge, Oxford, Bath…it rained most of the time, but there was so much history there." She sighed, clearly nostalgic. "It was wonderful. Favourite food?"

"That's easy. Cheesecake. I love cheesecake." The thought of cheesecake made Yuu's stomach grumble slightly.

Nanami perked up. "I could make that!" she exclaimed brightly.

Yuu stared at her. She wilted slightly.

"Well, I probably could, anyway," she muttered forlornly, chin returning to her knees. "I like beef chow mein."

Yuu snorted. "I'll hold you to that, Nanami-san. Worst teacher? Definitely Kei-sensei for me."

"Definitely. I don't know how one person can be so angry all the time."

"I once heard him shouting from across the school."

The girls shuddered. It was quiet for a while.

"…Koito-san?"

Yuu hummed in response, eyes closed.

"What did you mean when you said you didn't _like_ anyone that way?" Nanami didn't look at her.

Yuu sighed, opening her eyes to stare ahead. "My best friend in middle school confessed to me on the day we graduated. We hung out after school. We liked being together. We had similar hobbies. He was fun and told good jokes and was just a really nice person. Said he thought I was special, and he wanted a special relationship. That it was normal for that to happen.

"I…" She swallowed. "I read all the romances. I listened to all the songs. I knew that one day, I'd get those butterflies. My heart would soar, and I'd grow wings and fly. When he told me I was special, I waited for the moment to come, but my feet never left the floor.

"I kept him waiting for a while," she laughed, dimly aware of Nanami's hand coming to rest comfortingly on her own. "I knew I wasn't going to grow those wings, but I hoped, I really did. It was perfect – the perfect boy meets girl story, the confession was perfect, _he_ was basically perfect. You could have ripped it straight from any romance. But from the minute he told me, I knew. I knew I didn't like him that way – that I _couldn't_ like him that way.

"I guess…" Yuu leaned her head back. She could see the barest hint of the moon through the window above her if she craned her neck far enough. "I guess I still believed it was possible, even after that. But I've never felt that sort of love towards anyone. I've never had a crush on anyone, ever. Two boys told me they liked me in first year – one of them told me right outside this window - and there was still nothing. No spark. No wings. I didn't have to keep them waiting. I just can't fall in love."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds. Yuu exhaled but didn't move.

"What about you, Nanami-san?"

A pause. Then:

"I…I don't think I'm the same as you, Yuu."

Her hand was still in Nanami's. It felt sweaty. It wasn't Yuu.

Yuu turned her head to face Nanami. She was on her knees, both hands clasped around Yuu's. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating her. Pink crested her cheeks, the tips of her ears. Her eyes were wide, emotions dancing in darkened grey irises. She looked breathless, anxious, leaning in towards Yuu as if there was nothing else in the world. The room was dark around them, shadows isolating the pair. The lamplight seemed so far away.

Yuu didn't understand.

"I think…"

Her hands clasped tighter around Yuu's.

Yuu didn't understand.

"Yuu, I think I could fall in love with you."

Yuu didn't understand.

She shook her head frantically, trying to escape Nanami's gaze. "You're…you're the same as me, Nanami-san. You can't. I don't know what you mean."

She stopped, looking desperately into her eyes for anything. A clarification, a backtrack. She'd misheard, misinterpreted, fallen asleep and dreamt it.

Nothing. Nanami didn't react. Yuu sighed, relieved. "I know you didn't mean it in a weird way or anyth—"

Nanami's lips were on hers, for just a second or two, still a little warm from the tea. Yuu froze, eyes wide. Nanami pulled back, still flushed, slowly opening her eyes.

"This is what I meant," Nanami murmured softly, forehead leaning against Yuu's. "When I said 'fall in love.'

"You make my heart race, and I get butterflies when I look at you. My feet leave the floor when you say my name. I'm…not the same as you."

Yuu couldn't say anything, even when Nanami eventually turned away, mumbling dazedly to herself, when her breathing eventually evened out into the regular rhythm of sleep next to her.

She didn't feel anything. She'd been kissed – by another girl, at that – and felt nothing. No wings.

Yuu knew what to do. She'd wake Nanami up before six and apologise. Tell her she was flattered, truly, but that she wasn't interested (_that expression though_) and to let it go.

She woke Nanami shortly before six. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

Yuu looked down. "I can't date you, you know," she said quietly. "Or love you."

Nanami smiled gently. "That's fine. I just want to hold on to this feeling, for now, if that's okay."

It was only as they were leaving the building that Yuu whispered, "that's fine."

If she noticed the fond glances as they waited for the janitor to appear so they could sneak out, Yuu didn't say anything. She didn't comment on how close Nanami walked down the slope leaving the school, on the brushes of their hands, on Nanami's blush as they parted.

Yuu crept quietly into her home through the store's back entrance and crawled into bed, prepared to sleep the whole day away.

_I don't understand._


	3. Susurration

3.48pm, the clock read, hands frozen in time.

Yuu glared at it from her perch behind the bookstore counter.

3.48pm.

Yuu crushed down the urge to yawn.

3.48pm.

The clock was malignant, malevolent. It taunted her. She wouldn't stand for it.

3.48pm.

Yuu was just so _tired_. Her parents, after scolding her for staying out so late on such short notice, had put her to work despite her pleas.

3.48pm.

She wasn't going to blink.

The minute hand lurched clockwise. 3.49pm.

Yuu exhaled loudly as she let her head fall to her arms. Her mother normally scolded her for this – something about it "making customers feel unwelcome" – but Yuu currently did not have it in her to care. She was alone in watching the store for the next 11 minutes until she was relieved, and the beautiful weather was keeping the customers outdoors, away from the cool and quiet Yuu was presiding over.

Yuu, personally, was craving the cool and quiet of her bed.

The bell above the door tinkled, the sounds of the outside world briefly intensifying before the door swung shut again, muting them once more.

She considered raising her head and trying to appear vaguely human for the new customer. However, once she heard her sister's rushed "I'm back, I'll be down for my shift in ten" as she strode past the counter and through to their home, she simply let out an inarticulate groan in Rei's direction instead. Her laughter trailed up the stairs with her footsteps until Yuu was left in the quiet once more.

Yuu smiled slightly to herself from within the confines of her arms. Ten more minutes. She wasn't going to get any more customers. She could handle ten more minutes.

The bell tinkled again.

Yuu's smile died a painful, tragic death. She groaned loudly before she could stop herself.

She reddened instantly, shooting up.

"I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, fatigue forgotten. "Welcome to Fujishiro Bookstore! How may I help…you…"

Standing under the gradually stilling bell was Nanami Touko, the flaming red of her cheeks mirroring Yuu's.

"Umm…" Nanami's voice wobbled slightly, high pitched and teetering. "I'm fine, thank you!" With that, she fled behind a shelf.

Ever so slowly, Yuu returned her head to her arms. The world clearly did not deserve her attention today.

It wasn't long before the shuffling reached Yuu's counter. Peering up, she saw Nanami in front of her, still pink, and cradling a large stack of books from the discounted pile. Yuu's eyes widened; there had to be at least ten there, and all of them looked rather hefty. She turned her head to Nanami.

"Nanami-san." Said girl pinkened slightly. "What's with all the books?"

At this, Nanami's brow furrowed a little. "I want to…buy them?"

Yuu gave her a blank look. Nanami wilted slightly.

"I know you want to buy them," said Yuu, slowly. "But why do you want to buy so many? Most people never buy more than a couple of novels at a time."

"Ah!" Nanami exclaimed, her hair bouncing a little. She cast her eyes away slightly, toeing the floor. "I just…need something to do." With that, she put the books down on the counter. Thankfully, they didn't topple.

Yuu nodded slowly as she began to organise the books before her into a less threatening arrangement. Was she planning to read all the books at once? Yuu wouldn't put it past her – if anyone could read ten books simultaneously, it was Nanami Touko. Though she'd probably need quite a large table to have them all open at once.

"Do you want any covers?" asked Yuu.

"No, thank you."

"Do you have your own bag?"

"No, a bag would be lovely, thank you."

Yuu worked through the transaction in silence, scanning the books before putting them in the carrier bag until it was fit to burst. She looked up, catching Nanami's eyes.

"I think you'll need another bag."

Nanami nodded. "That's fine."

Yuu returned to her scanning and bagging. Even focused on her work, she could feel Nanami's eyes on her.

Was she thinking about the night before too?

"That'll be ¥4,245, please," said Yuu.

Was she thinking about Yuu?

Nanami handed over the cash silently.

Did Yuu want Nanami to think of her?

Yuu gave her back her change.

She thought about it. She supposed that it was generally nice to have people thinking about you.

Nanami didn't move. Yuu looked up – Nanami was still looking at her, but now she was fidgeting slightly, like she wanted to say something. Yuu quirked an eyebrow. Nothing.

"Is there anything else, Nanami-san?"

Nanami shifted a little more before stilling, seemingly having gathered up her courage. "Are you free to go somewhere, Koito-san?" she asked hopefully, eyes searching Yuu's own for an answer.

Yuu gestured vaguely to her current seated position and store uniform. Nanami sagged slightly.

"Oh, yes, right, of course! It's no problem." Nanami took her bags slowly. "Well, it was nice to see you." With one last look, she turned to leave.

At that moment, Yuu could see the path ahead of her. Nanami leaves the store. Things at school stay normal; maybe they smile at each other in the corridor occasionally, or chat about nothing much at all when circumstances necessitate. The events at the student council building are…not forgotten, exactly, but politely not mentioned, overshadowed by talk of the weather and how difficult trigonometry is. Nanami stays with her friends, and Yuu her own. Everything remains the same.

The bell tinkled.

"If you don't mind waiting, my shift ends in a few minutes."

Nanami turned, half out the door, surrounded by a hundred muffled voices and the faint grumbling of engines. She blinked owlishly once, twice, before a smile slowly split her face. Beaming, she nodded, closing the door behind her and moving to hover near the counter. Yuu could see her practically vibrating with excitement out of the corner of her eye, and she smiled faintly to herself, chin resting on her palm.

Yuu couldn't help but be curious. Who could?

The final few minutes passed without interruption. The moment the clock hit 4.00pm, Yuu stood, hung up her apron, and marched over to the stairs.

"Rei-chan, I'm done!" she shouted, head poked through the doorway.

A muffled yell was sufficient confirmation for Yuu that she could leave as she followed Nanami out of the bookstore and into the warm summer air. The pair walked in silence – Nanami seemed to know where she was going, and Yuu was content to simply follow her. As they rounded a corner, Yuu took a quick peek at Nanami's face; the smile was still there, but now it looked strained, forced. Concern sparked in Yuu's chest before her eyes reached Nanami's shaking shoulders and laughed to herself.

Nanami whipped around on the spot, eyes wide, strain visible. "Koito-san?"

Yuu eyed the bags in Nanami's hands. "Are they getting a little heavy, Nanami-san?" she asked teasingly.

Nanami flushed. She spun on the spot and began walking speedily away with a "Hmmph!", chin turned upwards.

Laughing again, Yuu jogged after her. She even offered to help carry them (after a little longer laughing at Nanami), so her amusement was perfectly excusable, only ceasing when they finally took their seats in the café Yuu had been led to. Allowing one last chuckle as Nanami gingerly rest the books on the floor and shook out her arms, Yuu finally took her attention off the other girl's plight and cast her eyes over the room.

_Echo_ was a little hard to describe. The first word to jump to Yuu's mind was 'homely', with the warm wooden panelling and furniture, but it didn't quite fit. While inviting and comfortable, the café still gave off a modern, minimalist vibe. Splashes of leafy green from potted plants complimented the exposed brickwork and pale olive of the walls, and the abstract paintings that dotted them provided a brief, interesting respite for the eyes. The low murmuring of the few customers and the muted rumbling of distant streets was calming, and gave the café a slightly sleepy, dreamlike feel. Large windows lined the front wall, bathing the room in a clean, bright glow. Opposite them was a long bar running the length of the rear wall, polished wood surface laden with various coffee machines and other devices. The lone member of staff, a woman in her late twenties, lounged over the bar, chin resting on her palm as she lazily surveyed the room. Her eyes met Yuu's, and she gave a soft smile before pulling herself up, stretching, and making her way towards her table.

They gave their orders – a mocha for Yuu, and a black coffee for Nanami – and thanked the waitress as she went to prepare them.

A moment passed. Yuu didn't say anything. Nanami was sitting opposite her, eyes focused on her over the gulf between them. Yuu swallowed, eyes flicking away before flicking back to Nanami, who had yet to move. It wasn't that Yuu felt uncomfortable, really, or _that _awkward; she wasn't sure how to feel, or how to break the silence they seemed to have imposed on themselves, or whether she even _should_ be the one to break it. Was Nanami thinking the same? Yuu shifted on her chair slightly. The wood was a little uncomfortable. She felt the urge to check her phone but resisted. She really couldn't read Nanami at all. Sans her (newly) trademark blushing or nervousness, she was inscrutable. Yuu swallowed again. She exhaled, closing her eyes briefly, before inhaling again.

"I…" started Yuu.

"I'm not sorry," Nanami said softly, cutting over Yuu. She moved her clasped hands from her lap to the table, bringing her forward slightly, and offered Yuu a slight smile. "About last night, I mean. If you're unhappy, or freaked out, or anything, I'll feel terrible, but…I can't be sorry."

"It's fine," Yuu said after a pause. "I don't feel like that. It's fine."

Before Nanami could respond, she continued, "but I do want to know why you…" She struggled to find the words. "…why you did what you did."

"I…"

The waitress returned with their drinks, and Nanami fell silent. Yuu watched as she picked up her cup and took a sip, wincing slightly, before bringing the cup back down. Her mocha was left to cool.

"Why me?" Yuu asked once she was sure the waitress was out of earshot. "Were you lying when you said you were…like me?"

Yuu wasn't disappointed. She'd accepted a long time ago that she was never going to love someone like that. The evidence was insurmountable. It would have just been – nice, she guessed – to find someone who understood.

Nanami shook her head violently, hair whipping about her face before coming to rest again. "Of course not!" she said. "I was telling the truth. I did feel that way. It was true. And then it – and then it just wasn't true anymore."

"But why?" Yuu asked. "What changed?"

With a rueful smile on her lips, Nanami shook her head again, slower this time. "I couldn't tell you."

Yuu sighed, looking away. She took a sip of her mocha (sweet) and watched a family come in through the door, seating themselves in a booth on the other side of the room, their chatter joining the quiet, indistinct talk of the other patrons. She turned back to Nanami, who was watching her quietly.

"I meant what I said, you know," Yuu said. "I can't fall in love with you. I'm not a…lesbian, or anything, really. Whatever you want, I can't – I can't give it to you."

Pink crested on Nanami's cheeks. "I meant what I said too, Yuu." She leaned a fraction closer. Her eyes looked a little wider, a little brighter. Their hands were close, but not touching. "I'm not asking you for a relationship, or anything like that. I just can't - I just want to hold on to this feeling, like I said."

The night before had felt a little like a dream, like Yuu had simply watched her dream-self obey dream-logic, like she'd just been part of the audience to a production she'd never envisaged. Now, despite her lack of sleep, Yuu felt wide awake.

"That's fine, Nanami-san."

Nanami grinned brightly at her. "Maybe we could even be friends!"

Yuu smiled back. It was infectious. She watched Nanami take another gulp of her coffee and wince again and couldn't help but laugh. "I really don't know why you ordered black coffee when you're struggling that much with it."

"It's just a…tradition at this point, I guess," said Nanami, idly tracing her finger round the rim of the cup as she gazed fondly at it, head propped on her palm.

"Weirdo."

Nanami's giggles could be heard throughout the café. Yuu couldn't help but join in.


	4. Liaison

It started with a note on Tuesday morning.

Before that, though, was statistics.

Yuu walked into the classroom and took her standard desk at the back quietly, shoving her bag haphazardly under her seat and burying her nose in her phone while she waited for the teacher to arrive. She'd realised the night before that she and Nanami actually sat next to each other in Maths – she assumed smart people just didn't need to see the teaching to understand it, whereas Yuu was more concerned with just not getting called upon in class – and had summarily decided that the magic of social media was better than awkwardly wondering how to interact with Nanami. The weekend had been _weird_, and she wasn't sure where they stood at school. Were they school friends now? Did Nanami expect her to stick with her and Saeki now? Was the other girl going to display her…'feelings', now, in front of everyone? Yuu wasn't sure. She wanted to talk about it with Nanami, but she also kind of didn't, in a way.

As distracted as she was, she didn't even notice Nanami slip into her seat until a quiet "Hi, Koito-san" pierced her mental bubble. Yuu turned, leaving her phone on as she did; Nanami was setting up her desk, two notebooks accompanying a neatly ordered set of pens, pencils, and highlighters. Her face was turned down, eyes focused on her desk, but she had a small smile on her lips and a faint pink on her cheeks as she fiddled with her stationery. Before Yuu could respond, the teacher marched in, and she turned back to face the front. She eyed her messy desk briefly as the lecture began before shifting her pen to lie parallel to the edge of the desk.

It was a dreary day and a dreary lesson. Yuu was, generally, a fan of maths – there was a quiet satisfaction in the process of making complex things simple, in reducing a novel of algebra to a scant letter or two, which made the subject far more palatable than others Yuu could name. She was by no means a natural at it, and new topics came slowly to her, but Yuu was pretty diligent and quite-but-not-especially-dedicated enough to be fairly-somewhat-decent at it. A pattern of staring at new problems until something clicked and the answer came tended to work well for her.

Unfortunately, this class was proving to be an exception. Yuu didn't like statistics, and the assurance that "This is definitely going to be in your midterms so make sure you pay attention and understand this" wasn't helping. What was a binomial distribution supposed to be anyway? Why had the teacher inflicted it on her? Staring at the problem before her wasn't helping, either – Yuu felt no closer to unlocking its secrets than she had before she'd started staring. Her eyes felt a little drier, but that was about it. She looked up at the board for a minute. It was complete and utter gobbledegook. Yuu gave up and looked back down.

It took another minute or two of staring before Yuu noticed the small piece of neatly folded paper sitting on the corner of her desk. After a quick survey of the room to ensure the teacher wasn't nearby, she took it, slowly opening It up.

_Do you need help?_

Yuu kept her head down as she watched Nanami out of the corner of her eye, who seemed to be speeding through the questions with no issue. It had to be from her; the location of the note meant she was the only real viable candidate. She hadn't seen her reach over at all.

_is it really that obvious?_

Making sure she wasn't being watched, Yuu reached to put the note on Nanami's desk, surprised when the other girl smoothly took it from her hand halfway without even looking up. That was impressive multitasking. It wasn't long before the note found its way back to her.

_…maybe?_

It was accompanied by an actually-comprehensible replica of the formula on the board, helpfully annotated with some explanatory notes that actually made some amount of sense to Yuu. She looked back at the problem – suddenly, it seemed a lot more doable, and it didn't take Yuu too much time to jot down an answer, which she quickly scribbled on the note before sending it back to Nanami.

_0.205?_

She barely had to wait before Nanami's response arrived.

_You got it! Well done. It's difficult._

Yuu snorted. The boy in front of her turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. She shrugged, only writing her response when he turned back.

_like it's difficult for you, nanami-san_

The note came back.

_It is! I just studied it last week, and over the weekend._

Yuu blinked. With the play, her duties with the council, and their time together, Yuu wondered how she'd even managed to fit that in. Did she even sleep?

_Nerd_

Watching Nanami turn pink out of the corner of her eye, Yuu turned to the rest of the questions, smirking slightly. At the end of class, all she received was a quick "see you later, Koito-san" before Nanami left. Saeki trailed after her, shooting Yuu a confused glance as she passed through the door and disappeared into the bustling swell of the corridor. Yuu sighed in relief; at least Nanami seemed to be on the same page as her with regards to avoiding school awkwardness.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Another Wednesday, another Maths lesson.

_Need some help?_

...Well, not _quite _another Maths lesson.

_yes please_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_Need a hand, Koito-san?_

_you have no idea_

_I think I've got some idea. _Nanami's note was accompanied by a little doodle of someone sticking their tongue out.

Yuu scribbled back, maths problems forgotten.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_...so that's why a normal distribution is useful. Got it?_

_nanami-san you're a lifesaver_

Yuu watched Nanami's smile grow, eyes flicking briefly over the note before pocketing it, opting to tear off a new piece of paper instead of reusing the one piece. As Yuu turned back to her work, waiting for Nanami's response, she couldn't help but to smile slightly either.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Yuu passed the noughts and crosses board back to Nanami. The other girl may have had the advantage in academics, but that wasn't going to stop Yuu from winning.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_if the midterms are gonna all be like this then I'm screwed_

Nanami didn't respond. Maybe she just wanted to work? Yuu felt a little bad for distracting her – she'd always written back quickly before. Nanami probably just wanted to focus on her own work for a while, which was fine with her, even if it was a little out of the ordinary. She couldn't help but wonder, though, even as she gradually worked through her problems.

Class eventually ended, prompting Yuu to let out a sigh of relief and take a moment to relax as other students bustled around her, eager to escape the room. She wasn't in any particular hurry as she ducked under the table to retrieve her bag – there was no sense in rushing when she only had another lesson. As she came back up, bag in hand, she noticed Nanami leaning back against her desk, fidgeting slightly, eyes on her.

Yuu frowned slightly – not in displeasure but confusion. Nanami was normally one to leave promptly, in line with her perfect student image. "Nanami-san?"

"Ummm..." Nanami slid her eyes up towards the ceiling, away from Yuu. She rocked back and forth on her heels slightly.

Yuu waited expectantly. Nanami's cheeks pinkened slightly.

"I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Can I help you study after school?" Nanami blurted out, her words blending together in her haste to get them out. "We can go to the library and make sure you do well on your midterms together and work on statistics and...and..."

Nanami gradually rolled to a stop as she noticed Yuu laughing. She flushed a deep red, though she didn't move from her spot, seemingly rooted to the floor.

Leaning forwards slightly, Yuu turned her eyes up to Nanami, smirking. "Aren't we doing this the wrong way around, Nanami-san?" she teased. "You don't tend to see the genius begging to help the average student all that much."

"Well…I…"

It shouldn't have been possible, but Yuu's smirk only grew larger. "Yes?"

"I want to spend time with you!"

Yuu blinked, pulling back slightly. Nanami's cheeks were still flaming, her eyes cast down to the floor as she fidgeted with her clasped hands. It would probably be useful to study with Nanami, Yuu supposed; she'd already been supremely helpful just via the medium of small scraps of paper. Besides, it was nice that someone wanted to spend time with her. She could already feel her smirk gradually softening into a smile. Decision made, Yuu pushed her chair back and stood, wincing slightly at the tiny shriek of the legs across of the floor. She turned her smile to Nanami, who was now eyeing her curiously, still pink in the cheeks but seemingly no longer completely mortified at her outburst. Slight, dark bruises clung to the underside of her eyes. Yuu wondered if she was tired.

Yuu hoisted her bag on to her shoulder. "Lead the way then, Nanami-san."

After a pause, Nanami beamed, practically radiating happiness. Yuu couldn't help but give an answering grin as she watched her turn and practically bounce down the corridor toward the library, the throng of students eager to get home not able to limit the exuberance Nanami's every move leaked. Yuu followed behind her. They didn't speak, but she didn't feel the need to, and eventually the pair arrived at a surprisingly empty library.

Yuu frowned slightly in confusion as they took their seats at a table in the corner, with Nanami opposite her. "I thought it'd be busier," she said.

"People don't tend to take midterms especially seriously here," Nanami answered, not looking up as she pulled a notebook and pen from her bag and place them on the table. Her voice adopted a teasing lilt. "But don't you know that already, Koito-san? I don't remember seeing you in here last time at all."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yuu sniffed.

"Of course you don't, Koito-san. I understand the situation here."

"I'm a reformed character now. Midterms are my life."

Nanami cocked an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you in here before right now, you know."

"Of course you've been here already," Yuu teased. "I bet if you had your way you'd never leave, you nerd."

"You caught me," Nanami replied, giggling. It was infectious – Yuu couldn't help but join in.

Eventually, they got themselves under control, and began working. The library was quiet, save for the subtle scratches of pens dancing over paper. Both girls worked independently (though Yuu grudgingly noticed that Nanami was going through at a much faster pace than she was, stopping occasionally only to yawn and stretch or to peek up at Yuu before carrying on), with Yuu occasionally asking Nanami for help on a question. Otherwise, they were quiet, not that Yuu minded – the silence between them didn't feel awkward, and she felt no inclination to break it.

Studying at the library after school with Nanami became Yuu's routine for the next week and a half until midterms. Nanami had migrated to sit next to Yuu early on, citing Yuu's constant requests for help. While she wasn't sure she entirely bought it, Yuu accepted it, and the pair spent their evenings huddled at their tiny table in the corner of the ever-emptying library, their only neighbours the silent bookshelves flanking their table. Sometimes they talked, whispered conversations about anything and everything scribbled on the air like transient notes passed in class, and sometimes they didn't.

Yuu learned a lot while studying with Nanami. Nanami was funny. Nanami pretended to be offended at her teasing and her sarcasm, but if Yuu looked up at her after she turned back to her work, she could always catch her smiling to herself. Nanami was easily flustered. Nanami had neat handwriting. Nanami used coconut-scented conditioner on her hair. Nanami yawned a lot when she thought Yuu wasn't paying attention, and would sometimes just gaze blearily at her work for seconds at a time before shaking her head and carrying on. Nanami found a lot of excuses to casually touch her – a hand on her wrist when she leant over to identify the problem Yuu needed help with, a touch on the arm when Yuu made a joke, even brushing Yuu's hair back when it fell in her face while she was focused. Nanami was easy to talk to, and intelligent, and had a way with her words that made even complicated subjects easy to grasp. Nanami was someone that Yuu liked spending time with. She was impossible not to like, Yuu figured.

It was 5pm on the day before their midterms when Yuu put her pen down and stretched her arms over her head, leaning back in her chair as if reaching for the wall behind her. "I'm done for the day, Nanami-san. I feel like my brain is going to leak out my ears if I carry on any longer."

Nanami scanned the empty library before them. The warm glow of the afternoon permeated the room, painting it in a tranquil gold. "I think everyone else feels the same, by the looks of it."

Yuu stood, tucking her chair in and taking her textbook (it turned out that Nanami had been more useful than the textbook in understanding mitosis, unsurprisingly, but Yuu didn't tell her that). "I'm going to go put this back on the shelf – want to head off after?"

Nanami gave a non-committal hum in response, eyes still on her notes as Yuu turned and ambled off between the bookshelves. Between the shelves, the library seemed somehow even quieter than it had been. Yuu felt that if she closed her eyes, she could convince herself she was the only person in the world at that moment. Instead, she continued on, eventually reaching the correct shelf for her book – years of working in a bookstore had rendered Yuu physically incapable of leaving a book in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the designated spot was at the top of the shelf; Nanami had brought her the book when they first entered the library, and hadn't seen fit to warn her of the problem she now faced. Even on her toes, stretching her arm as high as she could, Yuu struggled to reach the top shelf, and she cursed the school library as she struggled – why couldn't they get normal, regular-height shelves?

Just as Yuu was considering climbing the shelf like a ladder, a warm weight came to rest on her shoulder. She froze, breath hitched in her throat, as she felt Nanami behind her, front against her back, reaching up to pluck the book from her outstretched hand and slot it into the shelf where it belonged. Recovering, Yuu moved forward slightly, against the shelf, and turned to face Nanami.

"If you're going to make a height joke, you can just stop now because I've heard it all be—"

"Yuu."

Nanami's pupils were blown wide, pitch dark pupil eclipsing grey iris, staring into Yuu's eyes like she was searching for something in there buried beneath the surface, occasionally flitting to her lips before darting back up again. She was scarcely a foot away, if that, one hand floating near Yuu's shoulder and the other resting on the bookshelf just over Yuu's head as if she were supporting herself, trapping Yuu where she stood.

"I want…" Nanami's voice was soft, quiet, yet had an almost strangled quality to it, as if there were something coiled in her chest that she was struggling to contain. She swallowed, eyes never leaving Yuu's. "I want to kiss you."

Oh. Yuu looked down, quickly, then back up. Nanami was so close. Yuu could feel her body heat, even backed up against the shelf. She was warm – almost unbelievably so.

Nanami's eyes bored into hers. She must have seen something in there, because they softened, slightly, the intensity in them dissipating somewhat. Long, delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly. Her eyes were dark and bruised underneath, but still pretty. "Do…do you mind?"

Yuu fidgeted, gulped, casting her eyes to the side. "I guess I don't," she mumbled quietly, almost under her breath. "I'm kinda…well, I'm kinda curious, I guess, about what it feels like. There's got to be a reason people do it, right?" Yuu was aware she was starting to ramble. She tore her eyes from Nanami's eyelashes, opting to stare at her arm instead. "Maybe someone like me could enjoy it, may—"

Yuu cut herself off as she felt Nanami's hand – the one that had been by her shoulder – come to rest against her cheek, barely even touching her skin but still noticeably soft. Nanami leaned in slowly, eyes drifting closed, and Yuu followed suit as she felt warm lips on hers, and the tips of Nanami's fingers near her temple, and the gentle press of her body on Yuu's. It was…nice, Yuu supposed, as she and Nanami walked home quietly together, a few words passing between them here and there. No fireworks, no sudden surge of passion, but not something Yuu didn't like, either. It was fine. An acceptable way of passing the time.

She sat her midterms the next day, and watched Nanami fall asleep on her final test after finishing instead of checking through her answers as she had for all the others prior.


End file.
